Essential Starrcade: 25th anniversary DVD collection

[TheOneBigWill]

Created in 1983, Starrcade was wrestling’s first annual supershow and served as the marquee event for the NWA, and later WCW, through 2000. Through the years, Starrcade featured some of the most unforgettable matches in sports entertainment history, headlined by some of the greatest legends and icons of all-time.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Starrcade and to commemorate this occasion we will feature a special entitled “The Essential Starrcade” that can only be seen on WWE 24/7 On Demand in November. This celebration will countdown the Top 25 All-time Greatest Starrcade matches. To help determine the list we’re enlisting you, the fans, to vote on your favorite matches. Vote today

CHOOSE YOUR FIVE (5) FAVORITE STARRCADE MATCHES FROM EACH ERA

The NWA Era 1983-1988

Harley Race vs. Ric Flair
The Brisco Brothers vs. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine
Tully Blanchard vs. Ricky Steamboat
Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes
Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum TA
Ivan & Nikita Koloff vs. The Rock ’n’ Roll Express
Manny Fernandez vs. Abdullah the Butcher
Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard
The Rock ’n’ Roll Express vs. Ole & Arn Anderson
The Road Warriors vs. The Midnight Express
Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard vs. The Road Warriors
Ronnie Garvin vs. Ric Flair
The Rock ’n’ Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express
The Midnight Express vs. The Original Midnight Express
Mike Rotunda vs. Rick Steiner
The Road Warriors vs. Dusty Rhodes & Sting
Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger

THE WCW ERA 1989-1994

The Steiner Brothers vs. The Road Warriors
Sting vs. The Great Muta
Sting vs. Ric Flair
Stan Hansen vs. Lex Luger
Doom vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham
The Steiner Brothers vs. The Great Muta & Mr. Saito
Sting vs. The Black Scorpion
Lex Luger & Arn Anderson vs. Tom Zenk & Terrance Taylor
Sting & Abdullah the Butcher vs. Bobby Eaton & Brian Pillman
Battlebowl Battle Royal
The Great Muta & Barry Windham vs. Brian Pillman & 2 Cold Scorpio
Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman
Sting vs. Vader
Battlebowl Battle Royal
Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne vs. Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce
Dustin Rhodes vs. Steve Austin
Vader vs. Ric Flair
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Vader
Hulk Hogan vs. The Butcher

THE MONDAY NIGHT WAR ERA (1995-2000)

Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Ohtani
Sting vs. Kensuke Sasaki
Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger vs. Sting
"Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair
Dean Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon
Rey Mysterio vs. Jushin Liger
Eddie Guerrero vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hogan
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
Curt Hennig vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting
Billy Kidman vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Juventud Guerrera
Billy Kidman vs. Eddie Guerrero
Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Giant
Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash
Bret Hart vs. Goldberg
3 Count vs. The Jung Dragons vs. Jamie Knoble & Evan Karagias
Crowbar vs. Terry Funk
Scott Steiner vs. Sid Vicious

This November, a Best of Starrcade DVD is going to be released to promote the 25th anniversary of what would've been W.C.W.'s version of Wrestlemania. Instead of the W.W.E. making the decision for you, they've left it in your hands to select the top 5 matches from each era. (That means the DVD will have 15 matches, at least)

For me personally, I'm excited for this DVD because I'm hoping the 1995 matches with Ric Flair against Lex Luger & Sting, then Ric Flair against the Macho Man Randy Savage are both put on the DVD. Arguably the best matches of the entire International card, that night.

What are your opinions of the matches selected? Do you see any flaws? Did any big time matches get left out of the option?

Regarding that issue, I'm personally happy the Cruiserweight Championship Triple Threat match with Billy Kidman, Juvi & Rey Mysterio was put into the option of having on the last era. That match was electric and really was one of the last greatest cruiserweight matches. Unfortunately, I doubt it'll eclipse the Sting v. Hollywood Hogan match, or Hollywood Hogan v. Rowdy Roddy Piper, unfortunately.

So with that being said, what matches would you select and why? Also, do you believe this could be the W.W.E.'s way of bringing in yet another high-profile Pay Per View? I could honestly see Armageddon going bye-bye, and making way for a bigger named p.p.v., to attempt gaining more buy-rates.

 

[RadioGaGa]

First off I'm not too well acquainted with the NWA and WCW era's but Sting-Flair stands out to me as pretty much a dead cert for the DVD as, correct me if I'm wrong, it was their only one-on-one encounter at WCW's premier event Starrcade in a long rivarly between the two. Also Harley Race vs Flair as it was the first ever Starrcade.

As good a match as the 2000 ladder match between 3 Count, Jung Dragons and Noble&Karagias it was featured on the Ladder Match DVD which basically rules it out. Despite it being a good match the stip was shit where the winner (singular) got a cruiserweight title match on Nitro the next night.

Hogan vs Sting is a complete certainty as it was probably the biggest hyped match in the history of wrestling but the finish was bullshit and the match wasn't exactly riveting, just cookie cutter stuff.

Nash vs Goldberg was the end of the streak so that'll be enough credentials to get it on but again it was a bullshit ending and wasn't a great match. Scott Hall and the cattle prodder was cringeworthy stuff.

Kidman vs Mysterio vs Guerrera was just amazing. Fast Paced and plenty of near falls, it definitely deserves to get on and I wouldn't be surprised if they put on the match right after it with Kidman vs Eddie Guerrero. Both were great matches which makes the current state of cruiserweight wrestling quite disappointing.

Hart vs Goldberg had potential but ended up pretty shit. I suppose Hart did suffer a career ending injury which is a good excuse but the screwjob ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Eddie Guerrero vs Dean Malenko was an amazing way to start Starrcade 97 with another quality cruiserweight match which makes me hate the WWE even more for scrapping the Cruiserweight title. These two just had such good chemistry in the ring and Eddie back then was such a great heel.

An omission from the list that I am seriously pissed off about is the lack of Benoit vs Jarret Ladder Match from Starrcade 99. I thought the WWE had relaxed about having Benoit on DVD's as evidenced by his presence on the Summerslam Anthology. This match was outstanding and I couldn't understand why it wasn't on the Ladder match DVD.

 

[Hailey Rose]

Wow, I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am that a best of Starrcade of DVD is gonna be released. I was always a huge WCW fan and liked it more than the WWF and ECW at various times during it's existence.

That being said, the top 5 matches I'd choose would be:

1) The Rock ’n’ Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express from 1987
I've seen this match online and it's one of my faves from the time period. Here you've got two of the greatest tag teams of the time and it makes for a terrific scaffold match (or Skywalkers match, as it was called).

2) Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman from 1992
I'd have to go with another tag match. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a bonifide classic. The titles changed hands and the psychology on display from all four guys is top notch.

3) Either Billy Kidman vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Juventud Guerrera or Billy Kidman vs. Eddie Guerrero from 1998
Both of these matches were from Starrcade 1998, if I remember correctly and both matches stand as perfect examples of why the cruiserweight division was one of the hottest commodities in WCW. Kidman at his prime, Juvi and Eddie both as talented as ever and Rey Mysterio before he became stale.

4) Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko from 1997
The best match from WCW's higest best drawing ppv ever. Both of these men were technically sound and put on one hell of an exciting match. You could tell that they had amazing chemistry. It definitely made some of the more heavily promoted matches pale in comparison.

5) Vader vs. Ric Flair from 1993
This match would go down as one of my fave matches of all time. The storytelling on display is amazing and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering if Flair is gonna have to retire. Easily the best match of night, though the Dustin vs. Austin match was pretty decent.

 

[RadioGaGa]

Originally Posted by: WZ Main Site
WWE has apparently cancelled the previously planned WCW Starrcade DVD set, which was set for release sometime this year. A few months ago, he pre-ordered the "Best of Starrcade" DVD from FYE (originally scheduled for release on July 8), but received an email notification from FYE telling him that his order had been cancelled. On the product page on Amazon.com, they're saying that the project "has been discontinued by the manufacturer."

Oh shit. I was really looking forward to this DVD and I spent quite some time writing out my other post in this thread. I hope it's merely been postponed but if its full on cancelled then I'd be pretty pissed off. This had the potential to be a great DVD as did the Sting one which was also cancelled. The E have completely dropped the ball on this one, all the quality matches which could have been put on DVD for the first time and even the possible resurgence of the Starrcade PPV which would have been pretty cool.